Update on the October Horror Movie Challenge. I banked a few extras over the weekend. At this rate, I’ll finish up all 31 with a week to spare!
The Midnight Game (2014)
Sort of a bloody mary, candyman urban legend kind of story. It’s based on one of these creepypasta things, like slenderman. Felt very contemporary, of the present. It even contained some handy search terms in the end credits. (I looked, and it leads you to some of the creepypasta stuff about the rules of the midnight game, etc.) Cleverer than I expected. It’s solid, and I expect it’ll probably get a sequel one day. A perfectly serviceable new release.
Torment (2013)
Hey, did you like The Strangers, but you left the film thinking to yourself, you know what that movie needed? A ridiculous explanation about why the whole thing was happening, rather than just, “You were home.”
Then you’ll love Torment. A home-invasion sort of thing, like The Strangers, Funny Games, etc, but not as tense or scary. Unneeded exposition requires me to remove a star because it was dumb.
The Snowtown Murders (2011)
The story of John Bunting, Australian serial killer.
I probably would have liked this movie better if I was Australian. I couldn’t figure out why anyone did anything in this movie, nor could I discern how the characters were related to one another. It just seemed like a bunch of disconnected stuff that happened. Meh.
The Skin I Live In (2011)
A film by Pedro Almodovar, Spanish, with English subs. Stars Antonio Banderas. An absolutely original film that invoked themes of gender, madness, identity, and revenge. Conceptually fascinating, and well made. The soundtrack really stood out to me, as well as all kinds of hidden flourishes and nuance that elevated this beyond genre into the realm of Good Art. Strongly recommended.
The Scribbler (2014)
Girl with multiple personality disorder moves into the world’s worst halfway house, where she modifies her electroshock-at-home unit to give her magic karate powers. Lots of style, little substance. Sort of reminded me of Sucker Punch, but not nearly as imaginative. 2.5 stars, and that’s mostly because the chicks were cute.